Past Training Workshops

Working with Gender and Sexual Violence from an Anti-colonial, Anti-oppression perspective

Applying Narrative Therapy into the practice

This two-day training is for front-line workers, counsellors, health providers and other service providers to learn about the foundations of narrative therapy, the theory and principles to support girls and women who are dealing with gender violence

Participants in this workshop will learn:

an anti-colonial, intersectional framework to work with gender and sexual violence: an overview of the root causes of gender violence, spiral of violence, definitions and the impacts of violence and abuse as well as incorporating a critical lens to the systems of power

foundations of narrative therapy theory: narrative therapy is a highly respectful, highly effective, non-blaming approach to counselling, coaching and organizational work, which centers people as the experts in their own lives

the basis of a practical model for understanding the dynamics of violence against girls and women in intimate relationships: tools and strategies for supporting girls and women who experience violence

a ‘hands on’ on how to engage in a wide variety of narrative conversations, building narrative questions for transformational conversations

develop practical knowledge and usable skills (to take back to your daily practice of therapy or front-line work)

with

Stephen Madigan, PhD (day two)

Stephen Madigan apprenticed with David Epston and Michael White for many (many) years. Along the apprenticeship way he earned an MSW and an MSc and PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy and started the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy. AFTA awarded Stephen with their Distinguished Award for Innovative Practice in Couple and Family Therapy Theory and Practice, and the APA recently published his latest Narrative Therapy book, along with a six part ‘live session’ DVD series of his couple and family narrative therapy work. His new APA book Narrative Therapy – theory and practice is sold on Amazon.com and Kindle.

Rosa Elena Arteaga, BWSS Manager of Direct Services and Programs

Rosa Elena Arteaga has been working in the anti-violence field for over twelve years, delivering workshops on violence against women and providing crisis intervention and gender violence training to service providers to a provincial and national level. For the last 8 years, in her role as Manager of Direct Services and Programs at BWSS, she has integrated progressive practices into her work as a supervisor, counsellor and trainer to working with trauma and intimate violence against girls and women. Rosa Elena highlights the ethics of therapist responsibility; structures of safety; group work practice, and team building. She is passionate about her work which is framed in a feminist, anti-oppression, anti-colonial perspective and is an active agent of change towards eradicating violence against girls and women.

Angela Marie MacDougall, BWSS Executive Director

Angela Marie MacDougall has over 20 years of experience in front line support work, counselling, training and administration, Angela has focused on integrating practices to meet the needs of women dealing with violence, oppression, substance use and what are commonly understood as mental health issues. She has written, taught and spoken on how it is always about starting with ourselves as helpers—from our attitudes, our beliefs and our values. She encourages helpers to stretch themselves to become more inclusive and to push back the walls that limit our practice. As an agent of change, she has sought out leadership roles in her professional life, intent on integration. Currently, Angela is Executive Director at Battered Women’s Support Services in Vancouver.

Dates: Saturday, October 27 and Sunday 28th, 2012

Strategic Interventions

Building Knowledge for the Front- Line Series

A two day workshop on Narrative Therapy, Feminist Anti-Oppression approach of – working with violence and trauma

Narrative therapy is a highly respectful, highly effective, non-blaming approach to counselling, coaching and organizational work, which centers people as the experts in their own lives. At BWSS, we use Narrative therapy as one of our tools to work with women who have experienced violence and abuse in their lives. We work from a feminist, anti-oppression perspective. Through our work we assist women in externalizing and objectifying the problem, placing the problem in a social and political context, making sense through investigation and evaluation of the problem including who benefits from her having the problem. In the course of this process, women clarify for themselves an alternate direction in the life to that of the problem, one that comprises her values, hopes, life commitments, strengths, feelings, needs and desires.

Participants in this workshop learned:
• the foundations of narrative therapy theory and practice
• a feminist anti-oppression approach of-working with women who have experience violence and abuse
• the basis of a practical model for understanding the dynamics of violence against women in intimate relationships.
• a ‘hands on’ on how to engage in a wide variety of narrative conversations
• To develop practical knowledge and usable skills (to take back to your daily practice of therapy or front-line work)
• From an interactive workshop

Dates: Saturday, December 10th and Sunday 11th, 20

Settlement Worker Training Workshops

Settlement Workers working in rural and isolated communities are well positioned to assist immigrant and refugee women who experience violence in their intimate relationships. This workshop is designed to support and enhance current work while emphasizing assessment and safety planning.

In Attendance: The BWSS Legal Advocate, a volunteer lawyer (may be male) and women who need support with their current legal cases.

Format of Workshop: These workshops are designed for women who are ineligible for legal aid and/or in need of legal support for their cases. Lawyers and other professionals with experience on the topic will facilitate all workshops. Women may bring forms or relevant paperwork to the workshop for their own self-reference.

Battered Women Support Services and The Law Foundation of British Columbia sponsored:

A two-day workshop will introduce Motivational Interviewing as a method of communication for supporting & empowering women to make changes and improve their overall health and well-being. Women who experience violence in relationships are faced with numerous decisions related to their overall health and safety. These decisions often require some form of change or action to move forward, such as filing a restraining order or reducing or stopping substance use. Given the complexity of women’s lives, such changes can be difficult to make leaving service providers unsure of how to support or help women to move forward.

With information, analysis & practical tools, this manual is designed to enhance knowledge and strengthen skills of the women & men who are the first point of contact to comprehensively meet the needs of refugee and immigrant women. From a women-centred lens The Resource Manual situates the work with Refugee and Immigrant women who experience violence within a global analysis and patterns of human migration. It reviews the interconnections of human oppression from colonialism to violence against women to further contextualize interventions and prevention.

Based on a resource manual with the same name, women & men participants will be lead through a group process of personal exploration, group exercises that draw on group knowledge while experienced trainers and guest speakers share information, analysis and practical tools to enhance knowledge, strengthen skills and resource front-line workers to comprehensively meet the needs of refugee and immigrant women.